Aerial spinning toy



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w. c. STUDT AERIAL SPINNING TOY Filed April 21, 1949 a. g. 7 #5 e INVENTOR. l/zZ/zam zadz ATI'CI R N EYS Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AERIAL SPINNING TOY William 0. smut, St. Louis,- Mo.

Application April 21, 1949, Serial No. 88,879

The present invention relates to amusement .devices, and more particularly to a disk assembly providing a spinning toy.

One object of the invention is to provide a spinning toy which requires a certain degree of skill to manipulate and operate the same to thereby increase the interest of the player and user.

1 Claim. (CI. 46-49) Another object is to provide a spinning toy which is operated by means of a series of vibrations imparted thereto with the finger. The arrangement being such that said vibrations produce a simple harmonic motion and impart a rotary spinning movement to the toy.

Another object is to provide a spinning toy having a pair of rotary disks connected together by means of an eccentric pin around which is re ceived the looped end of a wire rod such that impulses manually imparted to said rod will cause said top to rotate about its central point as a free body.

Another object is to provide a toy of the spinning type having spiral or other decorative stripes to enhance the appearance of the toy during operation and increase the attractiveness thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the spinning top illustrating the manner in which the same is manipulated and operated by imparting a series of vibratory to and fro impulses thereto with one of the player's fingers.

Figure 2 is an end edge elevational view of the spinning vibratory toy showing the manner in which the spinning disks are spaced and connected by an eccentric pin spaced from the common central axis of the disks.

Figure 3 is a diametrical cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows to illustrate various structural details of the disk connecting pin which is offset from the spin axis of the disks and held in place by being Welded or otherwise secured in place.

Figure 4 is a diametrical cross-sectional view similar to Figure 3, but showing a slightly modified. construction in which the eccentric or offset pin is provided with short opposed dowels for reception in correspondingly shaped openings in .the spaced disks.

In the drawing, and more in detail, there is shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, one embodiment of the invention and for convenience of way between said discs.

illustration, there is illustrated a spinning body generally designatedi and a suspension member connected thereto likewise generally designated 6. The body 5 comprises a pair of circular disks 1 which are disposed in concentric relation and are of the same diametrical dimensions. The disks 1. are. held in spaced apart relation by means of a pin 8 which is offset from the central point I 0 (Fig. 1) a slight distance. The pin or spacing member 8 is held in place by being spot welded as at 7| l and the peripheral surface thereof is provided with an annular groove positioned mid- The pin 8 is formed of substantially the same metal as the disks 1 to facilitate welding the parts into place.

The suspending member 6 includes an elongated stifi wire M having a circular loop l5 of a larger diameter than that of the pin 8 at its lower end which operatively embraces said pin and is received in the groove I2 of the pin 8. The upper end of the wire I4 is likewise provided with a circular loop I! through which one end of a string i8 is passed and fastened by being knotted or otherwise secured as at 19. The upper end of the string or cord i3 is afiixed to a finger ring or loop as which is adapted to be slipped over the finger F of the player to manipulate the spinning toy.

The outer radial walls of the disks 7 are provided with alternately colored spiral stripes 2| to enhance the appearance of the toy during its spinning movement about the central point [0.

In the modified form of the invention (Fig. 4) the spinning body 5a includes a pair of diskshaped members la which are provided with correspondingly aligned openings 9a offset slightly from the central point of the disks la. The pin to is provided with reduced portions H a which are received in the openings 9a and are frictionally held in place. The disks la and pin 8a are formedof wood, and if desired, the pins Ha may be retained in the openings Ed by gluing or adhesively securing the parts together. The pin 80: is provided with a groove IZa in its peripheral surface and the ring or loop l5a is passed around said groove in substantially the same manner as the looped ring IE on the rod l4 (Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive). An operating rod (not shown) is formed on the looped ring Mia and the same is connected to a suspension cord and finger ring similar to the cord It and ring 2a (also Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive).

In operation, the ring 20 is slipped over the finge- 1- er the player and a serie; o. vibratory to and fro movements are imparted to the operating rod or wire 8 in a vertical direction. These impulses are applied to the body 5 of the spinning disk to create a rotational force about the central point ID or spin axis of the disks 1 during the upstroke of the actuator rod l4 so that during the down stroke the disks 1 will rotate as a free body. The vertical force applied intermittently to the offset pins 8 and 8a in addition to causing angular displacement, acts to urge the body upwardly and support the same from its suspension rod 6. During the down stroke or vibratory movement of the actuator rod M the body 5 rotates as a free body until the pin 8 passes the lower dead center point with respect to the spin axis ID.

The spinning toy is started by exerting a rotational force thereto manually while the device is suspended from the rod 6, and when the vibratory vertical to and fro movements are manually imparted to the actuator rod 6 by the play- "ers finger F the body 5 will rotate about its "central point l provided that the impulses are 'in 'phase' with the simple harmonic motion of the pin 8. Thus, by timing the actuator rod 6 in rhythm with the simple harmonic motion of the pins 8 and 8a the body may be kept in rotation until the impulses become out of phase with said motion.

It is to be understood, that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to engaging loop.

4 departing efrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

What I claim is:

In a toy, the combination which comprises a disk assembly and operating means for effecting rotation of said disk assembly, said disk assembly consisting of a pair of circular disks disposed in concentric relation and connected together by a pin, said pin being disposed oif center with respect to the common central axis of the disks and having an annular groove spaced midway between said disks, said operating means consisting of a stiff wire having, at one end, a loop larger than said pin operatively embracing said pin and engaging said groove, and a cord having one end connected to the free end of the wire, the other end of the cord having a finger WILLIAM C. STUDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,311,534 Seymour July 29, 1919 1,866,697 Blackburn July 12, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 238,357 Great Britain Aug. 20,1925 

